A partnership between Ukraine’s National University of Kyiv Mohyla-
Academy and Emporia State University in the United States enabled
the author to visit Ukraine in 2011 to tour libraries and talk with
librarians. Ukrainian librarians are embracing intellectual freedom,
but the vestiges of the Soviet legacy can still be seen in aspects ranging
from closed stacks to the lack of technology in libraries. This paper
discusses the author’s experiences and observations and how, almost
twenty-five years after the country’s independence, Ukrainian libraries
continue to develop in ways to enhance the lives and support open
information for Ukrainians. It also examines why, even in the wake
of recent political upheavals when the country is again facing questions
and an uncertain future, hope can still be found in a library.

Issue Date:

2015

Publisher:

Johns Hopkins University Press and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.